A wireless audio system includes a plurality of discrete wireless speaker subsystems, these wireless speaker subsystems typically interacting using a wireless networking standard such as the IEEE 802.11 standard. Each wireless speaker subsystem typically includes a central processing unit coupled to a memory unit, a networking interface and audio output hardware—such as an amplifier and one or more speaker cones. The central processing unit provides a media rendering functionality whereby data indicative of audio received via the networking interface is processed to provide a corresponding audible output via the audio output hardware.
There are two major approaches for configuring a wireless audio system. The first of these approaches involves pre-purchase configuration, whereby a plurality of wireless speaker subsystems are, as part of the manufacturing process, designated to be a wireless speaker set and in that way configured to act as a single wireless audio system. Each wireless speaker subsystem in the set includes data indicative of instructions to form a predefined wireless audio system with the other wireless speaker subsystems in that set—to the exclusion of other wireless speaker subsystems. A consumer purchases the wireless speaker subsystems as a set, and they behave accordingly without the need for substantive post-purchase configuration. This approach leads to difficulties where a particular wireless speaker subsystem requires replacement—for example following damage. Replacing a wireless speaker subsystem in such cases often involves obtaining a wireless speaker subsystem that has been pre-configured in same manner as the wireless speaker subsystem being replaced.
The second approach involves end-user configuration. Under such an approach, wireless speaker subsystems are manufactured and sold individually with no specific pre-configuration to any particular set. A consumer purchases a plurality wireless speaker subsystems, and subsequently configures these wireless speaker subsystems to provide a wireless audio system.
Ideally, it would be preferable for the wireless speaker subsystems perform some automatically self-configuration to assist in the configuration of a wireless audio system from non-pre-configured wireless speaker subsystems. There is a need in the art for devices, systems and methods that assist in this regard.